IT! COULD! WORK!

After about an hour of tweaking, testing, and reconnecting one solenoid that had come loose from its moorings, I can safely say of the sprinkler system:

A Simpsons Revelation

Having successfully watched all three episodes of Bluey thanks to our Disney+ subscription, I've started on something else: The Simpsons.

It's clear from the get-go that in season one, I've seen clips, but up until now not a full episode yet. Of course, this was back in 1987 where I didn't regularly watch TV (not that I do now) and there was literally no way of catching up on them if you didn't have cable, which we didn't.

I do remember the really long introduction -- I'm glad they cut it to a lean twenty minutes, like they did Krusty's Hobo Parade. It does, however, shof off Danny Elfman's theme for the show better.

And I have no memory of Homer in a striped shirt.

Also a revelation: A few blockbuster episodes in the first season, if I can say so: Aversion therapy with Dr. Marvin Monroe. Kwyjibo, Below Average Human/Intelligent beast. [Stands up yelling in church] It's good! It's good! IT'S GOOD! They started strong.

Beware! Fonts are Spam!

Today, Facebook is offended by . . . a random blog post about the fonts used in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

They say I'm spamming by posting this content -- trying to buy popularity in a way, I guess. They won't remove links I report that take you to scam websites and such, but they will slap me on the wrist for sharing something interesting about movie fonts.

Maybe I should give them money next time; that seems to be the only difference.

THE STAIRS ARE OUT!

So the back porch stairs, long weakening in the sun and weather, finally gave out this week. Not the project I want to be working on right now, but them's the breaks.

Rather than be stairless for a week until I can get serious next weekend with new stairs, I decided to put in some temporary stairs, using mostly the wood from the previous iteration, and $25 worth of cinder blocks from the Home Cheapo.

The dogs don't think much of the temporary solution, but it'll do until I can get something better in place.

It was either this or raccoons in the dumbwaiter and my wife standing on my fingers.

Forget Sprinklers, BEHOLD THE CRUMBLING STEPS!

It's a good thing the sprinklers are fixed, becase the back steps are now physically separating from the house.

I know it's hard to see in these photos, but imagine that two-by-four supposed to be underneath the door threshold. So I've got that project in the very near future.

What I don't know is whether I should just replace the steps with new wood ones, or bite the bullet, pull out the pad and replace the steps with concrete. Which would suck because I'm not very good with concrete.

Artificial Ingelligence -- a Veneer of Truth and Made-Up Crap

 

This kind of thing is popping up on social media all over the place now, and it's infuriating in both its incompetence and its laziness.

And, of course, artificial intelligence is involved.

It's easy enough to look at the photo and see it's been AI-generated. The two boys appear to have only one leg between them, unless you count the nub by the one visible leg as toes of a second leg, so maybe 1 1/10th of a leg, if we're generous.

Then there's the handlebars, done in the style of Pee-Wee Herman, so the evil Francis, when reaching out for the bar, ends up with an extend-o-bar that falls off the bike.

Then there's the bike itself -- a mishmash of what looks to be bare pistons with an actual bicycle, not a motorcycle, even an early one.

The real Abernathy boys here, and their motorcycle -- per Wikipedia:

And, in case you were wondering, here's the real Abernathy story.

The text accompanying this AI-generated photo is a mishmash of fact and typical AI-made-up garbage. The text tossses in "equestrian feat," not really mentioning that the boys did do some of their voyages by horse. But the way the rest of the text is written, it can lead one to assume all of the voyages were done by motorcycle.

It's easy enough to find the truth -- all of this took me less than three minutes to determine -- but clearly by using AI the creators hope to avoid any accusations of plagiarism, though the photos are likely in the public domain now, and any actual research, since AI can scrape enough off the internet to cobble together a story, inaccurate as it is.

Why bother with AI? Is it really just for clicks? Do these people get money if people interact with their posts? None of it makes sense. Of course, I'm looking for the Internet to make sense; maybe that's my biggest problem.

Sprinklers Back to Life

I ran the sprinklers on a full cycle last night -- first time in 2024. I have a few spots I need to check for leaks, but knock on wood I think I've got the sprinklers fixed.

Update: Found a little gusher of a leak, so I had to replace little bit of complicated pipe. While I was in there, I replaced the suspected leaky valve. After some persuasion, the new assembly has thusfar decided not to leak.

One Mis-Typed Word . . .

 Witness how one mis-typed word changed -- and ruined -- the story . . .

Recycling Options Continue to Shrink

The city of Ammon announced yesterday they're shutting down their recycling program -- grand words for the recycling bins by the city shop -- further curtailing the recycling options locally.

While I understand this was a "business decision" on the part of Western Recycling, which came to collect the recyclables on a regular basis, I have to wonder whether it was more out of inconvenience than anything else.

Western Recycling does offer curbside recycling locally -- for $12 a month, collected twice a month. So they have trucks rolling. They can't use the same trucks to collect the city recycling bins. Either collecting the bins was a money-loser for the company, or it was just . . . inconvenient.

Inconvenience seems to be Western Recycling's thing. I've been to their plant downtown and have rarely seen a place that says "Go Away" more than that. It's clear they'll truck with the bigger scrap dealers, but don't necessarily want to deal with an unwashed schlub coming in with a tub of aluminum cans to sell. Good thing Millcreek Metals is closer, and actually wants to deal with said schlubs. And Millcreek Metals is a lot closer to home than Western is.

The city points out -- rightly -- that those wanting a second city garbage bin to handle the recyclables the city is no longer willing to collect might be better off getting one of Western's recycling bins, as a second bin costs more from the city. Though that number, on the face of it, is hard to pin down. The city doesn't list costs on its sanitation website, and I can see by our city bill that one bin costs $11 a month. Unless the city is grossly overcharging for that second bin, I can't see any savings going on here, aside from recyclables not ending up in the landfill.*

I know this all seems convoluted. If I want to recycle -- and I do -- I should bite the bullet and either truck my stuff to the recycling center or get the curbside service.

But as much as the business end of things wants to cut costs on their side or just not bother out of inconvenience, I too want to cut costs and not bother out of inconvenience as well. Taking recyclables to the city shop is a lot shorter distance for me than carting the stuff downtown. And suddenly shifting a lot of vehicles taking smaller loads that distance doesn't make much environmental sense considering larger trucks could make the trip to the city bins to collect more recyclables all at once. So it's a classic robbing Peter to pay Paul situation.

So Bonneville County, your landfill is going to fill faster. I'm trying to decide right now what to continue recycling, and what to just stuff in the trash. And the more I stuff in the trash, the faster that landfill will fill up.

I know it sounds like I'm just whining because I'm going to have to change my recycling habits. And I suppose I am. But it sure would be nice if the options we had remained as options. But I knew when Idaho Falls stopped its recycling in program -- also partnered with Western -- that Ammon's recycling was on a limited time schedule, as I'm sure Western got a lot more material out of Idaho Falls recyclers.

And what boggles the mind is there's a company out of Salt Lake City -- 200 miles away -- that sees financial benefit of putting recycling bins for glass in Idaho Falls. I guess I just don't understand the economics of recycling. Or the shadowy realm of "business decisions."

*Our local councilman says a second city trash can is $15 a month. So a savings, though small.

Way too Late at the Movies: Little Nicholas, Happy as Can Be

I was introducted to Rene Goscinny and J.J. Sempe's "Le Petit Nicolas" stories as I served a mission for the LDS Church in France. These little stories helped me study the language -- I still learn a few things as I read through them even now -- and gave me a glimpse into French society, albeit a society of the 1950s, nothing later.

I knew in the last decade or so a TV series and a live-action movie had come out, but I wasn't aware of this one until I stumbled across it on YouTube today.

This version shares some of the stories fans of Nicolas know well -- but they're interwoven with the tale of Sempe and Goscinny, how they met, how they collaborated. And it's all done in soft watercolor animation that really captures the feel of the stories and the times they're set in.

This is a version of the story for a very specific audience. Don't go in thinking you'll see nothing but Little Nicolas stories; there's a lot more to this than that.

I enjoyed it. They brought in enough new material that the film kept my attention, and also animated some of my favorite stories so I could sit back and laugh at them.

All in all, worth your time.

Mending . . .

First box is mended.

I may regret not buying a manifold to replace this old one, as with the old one I was not able to use the quick release attachments as they were the wrong size. But part of me is a bit tired of throwing money at this project.

The gravel in the bottom is a bonus from a previous project. Hopefully it'll make things look a little cleaner until the bugs move it.

Second box is being more of a challenge. I'm dealing with an odd configuration of pipes (two valves without a manifold) and some really rusted hardware.

I've got one valve out, with the other getting buried a bit as I work. The ground is so dry . . . but we do live in a desert, after all. Also had a lot of root intrusion from the nearby apricot tree. Guess I should have expected that after a decade, but seeing that inch-thick root snaking by one of the valves was startling.

I was going to go out and work on it today, but nah. I need some rest. Also, I have to get ready to go to Island Park tomorrow night to replace the stupid water pump in the camper . . .

Sprinklers Continue to Break

Apparently, this is my Summer of Sprinklers: The Revenge.

In the first few years after we moved into this house, my brother and I worked to install a sprinkler system. It's been a nice way to have the lawns watered automatically nigh these many years.

Then this year came.

I was late getting sprinklers started -- didn't get them tested until the first week of June. I identified some problems with some circuits in the front yard, and worked to repair those.

In the meantime we had a freeze -- not uncommon for our neck of the woods this time of year -- and it blitzed several circuits in the back yard. So I've spent many hours this past week digging up valves and lines, replacing valves, and meeting some success in getting things working again. I'm hoping with what I did today and what I'll accomplish maybe tomorrow -- it's ox in the mire time -- or next weekend will see everything set right. In the meantime, I've been dragging hoses all over the place and the lawn looks like a missile testing site. Here's to getting things up and running and having a better summer from here on out.

 

Sounds Like a Lot of Hoopla

This is this blog's 4,000th post.

I Knew there Would Be Complications

So regular reader knows I did some paver-related landscaping in the front yard earlier this spring. Part of that project included routing a water line and power line underneath a slab of concrete in the front yard. The work went smoothly . . . until it didn't.

Now the valves fed by that power cable aren't working. Well, they're not shutting off fully. I've cleaned the valves twice, so I'm not sure what's going on. Second time involved digging them up and basically rebuilding the manifold.

So tomorrow's activity will include buying a new power line and using that to test if it's the power line that's shorted somewhere or if the valves I have are bad, and their breaking is just coincidental to the relocation of the power supply.

Not really looking forward to that, but I'm also not really liking that our lawn is burning up right now. We have hoses and sprinklers to move around, but that's not fun at all.

A BRAND NEW AI-DRIVEN THAT DOES!

Hey, Caktus AI, c'mere a minute:

Trust me, the good teachers know.

This goes beyond the typos in your ad copy by the way (was it AI-generated? In that case, well done). A good teacher doesn't need an AI checker to identify copy a student didn't write.

And even if we don't, well . . . you got your money I guess. And they got their grade. But they didn't learn anything except to spend money to get a grade.

I get it: AI is a neat tool. I can see legitimate uses for it in the classroom. But those who use it in the way you espouse cheat themselves of a learning experience. If they cut corners like this, what other corners are they cutting, and what price will they (or others) have to pay for those shortcuts?

Just learn how to write a paper. I'd much rather read a paper that's less than perfect but through which a student learned something, than one that's perfect but only cost them a little cash to generate.

And just as AI evasion is getting better, so is AI detection. AI detection isn't limited to using a service to scan a text. I can use my own eyes, my own brain.

Since you don't want your users to "get caught," you already know it's cheating. I know you don't care, because you got their money.

Students: That's what these people want, your money. Use their service once in a pinch and the temptation is there to keep using it and using it, paying every time. How much is your integrity worth?

I Don't Use AI . . . Yet.

As is expected, a writer is aghast they have been accused of using artificial intelligence to do their job.

But, give it a few more years, and maybe they will use it.

Article is linked here. Relevant passage repeated below (emphasis mine):

"Does this issue with AI matter right now?

"Not really. Either it will remain unusable, like now, and we won’t be using it for copy at all; or, it will become usable in the future, but you’ll still need someone like me to check it over and make sure it’s correct. Either way, you’d have to know the best ways to use it, and the nuances of the tool’s prompts. In essence, in the future, if AI becomes that good (which I doubt – remember Blu-Ray, holograms, and polyurethane tires?) we won’t need to worry about it because it will do what I do and you won’t be able to tell the difference, as long as I have worked out the best ways of using it in my job. But I don’t think AI will reach those echelons. I really doubt it. I can see the issues with it now, and it’s janky to say the least. And so I won’t be using it for the foreseeable future."

I'm going to ask their question, but address it differently: Does this issue with AI matter right now?

Absolutely. I failed a student in one of my English classes last semester because they got caught using AI to write an essay in class, and then continued to use it even after they were warned not to. AI in all of its jankiness and sloppiness, is very much a temptation for inexperienced writers -- and I find it hard to believe experienced writers aren't out there playing with it right now, figuring out how they can use it safely. And maybe to the point we won't be able to tell.

Is AI writing going to get better? I think it's inevitable. There are already paid AI services out there that note the jankiness and work around it so as to become virtually undetectable. This author themselves says this about technology: (again, emphasis mine) "Maybe AI could be the end of everything we know now, maybe it will destroy certain systems in that things might change, but change is not an end, where tech is concerned, it's usually progress."

Uh-huh. I've got a bridge I'd like to sell you if you're interested.

I Can Grow Gravel . . .

Gone are the burning bushes that never really went anywhere, and the excessively weedy patch of "flowerbed" that was much more crabgrass than pansies.

In is this:

Because I can grow rocks. Anything else is iffy, to be sure.

But now I have another area of the yard I potentially have to vacuum . . .

God Bless All of You, All of You on the Good Earth

The first voice in this broadcast, given from the Apollo 8 Command Module on Christmas Eve, 1968, is William Anders.

"God bless all of you, all of you on the good Earth."

Anders died todaydied today in a plane crash in Washington state. He was 90 years old.

He also took this picturethis picture of the Earth from Moon orbit, called Earthrise.

We live in an age where the men who visited the Moon all those years ago are dying. I fully expected to be able to visit the moon when I got older.

As a nation, we have diminished in our ambitions and reach, and are poorer for it.

Save Money? Good Luck.

 

So Rocky Mountain Power wants to goose our electric bills up by about a quarter, spreading that load over a couple of years so maybe we don't notice all that much.

They brag in this news story that we'll still have one of the lowest electric bills in the country. Which is well and good. When everyone's increasing their prices and you're at the bottom, that's easy to say.

And I guess I shouldn't complain that much. We do have solar on the house which pretty much negates our bill for four or five months out of the year. And maybe that's why they're putting their rates up -- a lot of people have gone solar.

Makes me wish we could afford that $20,000 for the battery system we looked at earlier this year, but it's not in the cards nor do we yet have the room for it. Maybe once we get the house paid off in five or six years . . . 

So yes, First World Problems to be sure.

He's Oiling His Brain

I don't have many regrets in life,  but I do regret not getting a photo of Isaac Friday evening after he'd rubbed his nose as he was changing the brake pads and rotors on his sister's van.

Because he 'ad stuff all over 'is face.